Escaping Haven
by AwesomeZombieSlayerGRL
Summary: Four teens, tired of their oppressive, tyrannical leader, leave their homes for the Wasteland, hopes and dream fed on by the promise of safety out in the dangerous Raider and Mutation-held lands
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1  
Haven  
Dust settled over the barren wasteland. It had nearly one hundred and fifty years when the war had started. Nobody really knew how it all began though they all tell the same tale, those that survived anyway: it was a a typical, average day. Blue sky, birds were singing. People were going about their lives when the first bomb fell. It hit Canada first. The next hit Alaska. Then the United States. The bombs fell in no specific pattern; it was as if the controller logged in random locations and continuely pressed the launch button. The first years were chaotic. With no form of law, crime grew rampant, uncontrollable. Those that tried to stop it were elected as leaders of the small factions that sprouted up throughout the wasteland. Some survived. Those that did not fell into the shadow of their successors who turned into the Knights and evenatually they turned away from the light and soon formed the Raiders. The two factions were at war with each other constantly until the radioactivity finally took its toll the Earth. Mutations nowadays weren't uncommon but in the first days, the Raiders and Knights joined forces temporarily to combat this new foe. It didn't care about the two warring factions; it saw a new foe and it hungered for blood. The battle lasted for twelve years but that depends on who you're asking. Most folk say it's still going on just not as big as in the First Mutie Wars. The mutation population decreased slowly after each passing year that it fought with the humans until it turned tail and hid. Sometimes a Knight or Raider spots a wandering Mutie on his own and guns it down immediately, not knowing if the mutations are starting up again, testing the humans' barriers.  
The mutations are biding their time when hope arises again in humanity. The permanent union of the two factions. It will come and snuff out whatever hope the humans find.  
It was said that the world was to end December 21, 2012 when the bombs dropped. But little did anyone know that humans were resilient creatures. We rose from the raidoactive ashes wondering what the hell just fell on us. No one knew the answer. Nor we were ever going to find it.  
Now it is the year 2162 in April. Spring's already began in New Haven. It is just one town out of many that have sprung up in the Wasteland; a product of humanity's second attempt at civilization. The small town is constantly harassed by small groups of Raiders. A radio turned on low began to play in one of the nearby homes. A young woman of about seventeen leaned back on an old rocking chair and flipped through the few radio channels that are availiable. An old 1950s song plays through the old speakers. The girl glances down at the radio when static kicks in. "Signal's weaker than yesterday. R&R needs a new dish," she muttered as she tried to adjust the long antenna. Finally the static cleared and she sat back down.  
A keening wail broke through the air. The young woman shot up out of her seat and quickly turned off the little radio and jammed it into her jacket pocket. Several people ran by her. She got up and followed the bodies into the town center. The crowd grew thicker as she grew closer to the plaza. A hand on her shoulder caused her to turn around. Lloyd gave her a grim smile. She had known him since she first arrived in Haven. She gave him a questioning look which he responded with a quick jerk of his head back. She looked over his shoulder and spotted her brother, Caedus, and their friend Amy. They nodded once and slowly made their way over to where the crowd had gathered around.  
A baby's cry could finally be heard over the dim buzz of muted talking. A woman of about thirty laid on the ground crying next to the statue of New Haven's new Overseer. The faces all looked the same whenever the sculptors set in a new one. The Overseer stood next to the distraught woman, his guards stood around the woman. The baby continued to cry. "What're they doing?" the girl whispered. She felt Lloyd shrug next to her. The woman started to get up but was suddenly struck down by one of the guards' batons. The sound of metal on flesh caused several people to visibly flinch. The Overseer seemed to nod as he watched the scene unfold. He looked as if he approved of it. The girl felt sickened by all this. She wanted to walk over to the Overseer and punch the smug man but knew she would be shot long before she got within an inch of their leader. The woman on the ground lifted her head up and searched the crowd for help while ignoring the man standing above her. Her face was covered in blood from the hit by the guard and blotchy from crying. Her eyes rested on the girl's and held her gaze for a long moment. Tears pricked in the girl's eyes as she broke the woman's gaze. I'm sorry, she tried to tell the woman silently, I am so sorry.  
The Overseer's voice suddenly broke the tense silence. "Anyone who attempts to steal anything from my quarters or any of the trading will lose what property they 'own' and will be kicked out of New Haven to wander the Wastes."  
"B-but my child will die out there," the woman's voice sounded.  
The Overseer bent his head down to hers but stage-whispered, "He is already dead." Cold realization shot through the woman and the crowd as a guard walked briskly over to the woman's home. "No!" she shrieked, lunging forward but was held back by another guard. The gun shot silenced the baby's cries forever.  
The woman continued to scream and curse incoherently as she was dragged to the main gate to the town where she was thrown out with a meager amount of supplies that would sustain her for no more than three days if she rationed it correctly; that is if something out there didn't kill her first. With the disturbance taken care of, the townsfolk were immediately dispersed. All that remained were the four teenagers standing and staring at a very empty house.  
The child's body would no doubt be disposed of before dark fell lest the Overseer wanted to risk infection. Amy was the first to leave, then Caedus. Lloyd left not too long after the other boy while the girl stood rooted to the spot where the woman had lain only an hour ago. "Terra, it's nearly curfew. Let's go home," Lloyd said quietly. Terra shook her head and Lloyd left her alone, standing in the darkness. Staring at the three drops of blood that stained the ground. A dog howled nearby, reaching its peak and slowly drifting off into the night.

The next day dawned grey and humid. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Terra opened her eyes and turned over to watch her bedside candle slowly die as it devoured what was left of its wick. She had barely made it to her house the other night, narrowly missing curfew by two minutes. Her and Caedus' home was on the other side of town, a good half mile from the town center. New Haven was growing each year; the Overseer constantly pushed for more land and worked his people to death when drawing up new blueprints for a bigger Justice building or larger plots of ground for fieldwork; those were just the small stuff. Still haunted by the woman and her dead son, Terra quietly threw back the threadbare blankets on her bed and slipped into her shoes. Going to have to go into town later to trade for some new ones, she thought as she fingered the fading fabric.  
The woman was in her dreams. Switching between crying out for help and cursing the younger woman for not aiding her. Terra had woken up in the middle of the night to find her pillow damp. She bit her lip in anger and forced herself to sleep. Terra absently ran a finger across her bottom lip and felt a tiny scab where she accidently bit into the soft flesh. She got up and carefully made her way into the kitchen where she packed a small breakfast. She paid no attention to the prone form on the living room floor half wrapped in blankets. Soft snores could be heard from it. Terra shook her head in disgust. Her father must have gotten home late last night or earlier this morning from his daily trip to Hedz or Tales, the local pub where people, from the poorest fieldworker to the richest bodyguard of the Overseer's, could be found drowning their sorrows. Their father wasted what precious little money he earned on his drink, leaving bare none for them to live on. Were it not for Caedus' talent for finding valuable items and Terra's knack at haggling the local caravaners, they would be either dead or wandering the Wastes by now.  
Terra wrapped up her meager breakfast and tip toed back into the room she shared with her brother to grab a flashlight and pocket knife. One could never be too careful when walking in New Haven. The flashlight was hidden under her nightstand where it typically was but her knife was nowhere to be found. Terra tried not to groan in frustration as she searched for it as quietly as she could; she had traded a good amount of items for it when she first lost it. Misplacing it yet again made her feel stupid. A lightbulb lit above her head and she turned quick to find her brother still bedraggled but wide awake watching her fumble around. "Where are you off to this fine morning?" he asked, his voice still layered with sleep. Her eyes instantly zeroed in on the blade twirling around in his hand.  
"Off to Lookout," Terra replied quietly, naming the sorry excuse for a hill the sprouted out near the perimeter of the Wall that surrounded Haven.  
"Doing what?" her brother asked.  
"Can't I just go off on my own without having to ask you permission?" Terra snapped and made a move for her knife but Caedus moved it farther out of her reach.  
"Ass," she muttered and sat back down on the floor. Their room needed to be cleaned again, but what was the point? Terra thought. It was just going to get dirty again the next day. She picked at a stray thread on her faded flannel shirt while waiting for her brother to finish playing with her pocketknife.  
"Catch!" he said suddenly. Terra's head snapped up as she watched her knife turn cartwheels in the air. It pinwheeled over her and headed towards the half opened window by her bed. Without thinking, Terra threw herself backward and lunged for the knife. She caught it just as she fell down, gripping the handle with the point up. Her brother was laughing at her endeavor; Terra sat up quickly and threw the knife at Caedus. The boy barely had a chance to react as the knife flew over his ducked head and embedded itself in the wood wall behind him. He looked once at the knife and then back at his sister, a look of incredulity ran across his face.  
"Don't ever do that again," she said and held her hand out for her knife. Her brother still watched her warily as he pulled the knife from the wall and handed it back, butt first, into her waiting hand.  
"'Don't ever do that again'?" he repeated, "Aren't I supposed to be telling you that?" His sister smiled once without humor and turned to leave.  
"Don't be late for the morning work assignments," Caedus reminded her. Terra waved back in acknowledgment.

Lloyd turned around at the sound of gravel underfoot. His face broke out into a grin but fell slightly when he saw Terra's face. She sat down next to him without speaking and brought her knees up to her chest. Lloyd searched her face.  
"Sibling issues," she said at last. Lloyd nodded once and opened his pack. They ate their breakfast in companionable silence as the sun finally burst through the cloud cover. Lookout Point gave them a small glimpse of the Wastes. The only people who were even allowed in New Haven were the traders who brought back with them tales of horrible creatures and beings who claimed they were human. The traders kept saying that the folk of New Haven were lucky to have this sanctuary out in the middle of a barren wasteland. Watching them carefully, one could see how this one's eyes darted around skittishly at the number of guards nearby, or how that one fiddled with his cloak, eyes cast down. They brought on an air of tension which unsettled a few people who watched them carefully.  
"We need to leave," Terra muttered after awhile. Lloyd looked at her, as if he didn't hear her correctly. Terra rolled her head over in his direction and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't tell me you don't have the same thoughts bouncing around inside that empty head of yours, now?" she teased.  
"Hah," Lloyd said once before wrapping his arms around his knees. "I do," he replied, "but... what about those who've failed? They barely made it past the Wall. Even if they did, they'd die out in the Wastes."  
"I'm not saying it'll be easy, but there have been people who managed to escape and now live free of this tyrannical bastard," Terra spat. Lloyd flinched subtly. She looked at him carefully. He just shook his head. "Didn't his son escape?" she asked.  
"Only to be found a couple miles away from Shadow Peak," Lloyd grumbled.  
"But he still found a way out of this godforsaken place," Terra snapped. Lloyd looked at her, confusion and concern flitted across his face. Terra glanced at him once and looked back at her knees. "Sorry, just had a bad morning. Ignore me," she apologized quietly.  
Lloyd spoke up after a few silent minutes passed. "Look, if we are able to come up with a plan to escape... It has to be foolproof."  
"Oh, come on, Lloyd. You think I'm letting Caedus make this plan? You know me better than that," Terra smiled for once that morning.  
"Yeah, I do," Lloyd replied. They both got up and scrambled down to the recieve the morning's assignments.

Folks were already up and out of their beds, making their way down to the dining hall. The name was too grand for a dozen tables and chairs set up under a leaky awning. People rubbed the sleep from their eyes and stumbled into the line where the teller behind the window wrote down each person's name on board and the assignments they had done before. Those who had done a decent or good job on their assignment recieved black marks by their names. Those who half-assed their work got red checks and the more red checks they recieved the greater the chance they'd get to being kicked out of Haven. There were a few whose names were practically bleeding red.  
Terra and Lloyd slipped into the line along with Caedus and Amy to recieve their jobs for the day. The assignments ranged from fairly paid jobs like a construction worker for the Overseer to a medium paid like a trader to a poorly paid collector. When each person was given their task, there were quiet grumblings or soft cheers as they read the tiny slip of worn down paper. Terra walked up to decaying front and watched the teller behind rusted bars. He looked up at her once.  
"Name?"  
"Terra Kinley."  
The man looked at the board and glanced around for her name. "I.D.?" he asked. Terra fumbled around in her pocket for the little card she was given when she was first enrolled into New Haven's school system. She handed it to the teller who held it up to the small lamp on his desk, checking for authenticity. "Identification number?" he asked. Terra sighed heavily. Doesn't this guy remember I was here just yesterday? Terra thought glumly as she raised her sleeve from her wrist to reveal a small set of numbers and letters that every resident is given at birth. That way, whenever a citizen left or entered New Haven, they would have to pass by a large set of security poles that lined the sides of the gate that keep track of that person.  
Terra didn't know how the guards kept track of people with numbers on their wrists when more than half the time that part of their arm was covered with gloves or sleeves due to the fact that the temperature out there in the Wastes dropped to freezing temps. The tracking, she assumed, was all due to a scanner, she guessed, that was built in with a low level x-ray scanner added to see through whatever was covering that person's wrist. Terra knew that some of the guards fooled around with the x-ray whenever a woman passed by. They were always snickering like girls at one of the old boy band concerts she heard about back before the war began. It sickened her.  
"Oi! Chicky! You want your task or not?" the teller said. suddenly jolting her from her thoughts. Her eyes finally focused on the yellow-white stripe of paper being waved in her face. She grabbed it and opened it. Her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to see through it.  
"I think there's been a mistake," she said looking up at the teller.  
"Oh yeah? And how's that?" He leaned forward, his aged face almost pressing up against the bars.  
Doing her best not to let his expression bother her, she turned back to the paper in hand. "I have been working hard for the past few months. I think I deserved a small raise," she replied and held up the strip that had TRADER written across it in bold font.  
The teller sniffed, smirked, and returned back to the old computer in front of him. "Excuse me?" Terra said, "Did you not hear me?"  
"Yeah, I heard ya, girly," the man replied, "But I can't do a damned thing about it. It comes out all randomized. I have no control over it." He looked at her lazily as he pulled out a cigarette from his faded and moth eaten jacket to light. It was complete BS.  
"So you say, but isn't it supposed to be ranked in how you've done with you previous tasks? With little to no red marks?"  
The man looked at her and took a long pull from his smoke and breathed out like a dragon. "You keep making a fuss of this and I'll make sure you get an extremely shitty job and red marks," he said grinning like a chesire cat.  
That nearly sent Terra over the edge. "What?!" she nearly yelled. The man just leaned back in his chair, grinning smugly. Before Terra could say anything that would more thsn likely get her kicked out, Lloyd nudged her shoulder, saying quietly, "He's not worth it." Obviously overheariing the one sided exchange, the man said, "Better listen to your boyfriend, chicky." Terra's face burned bright red. "He isn't my boyfriend, dumbass," she snpped angerly and hurried out away from the task line. She didn't see the shocked and hurt look cross Lloyd's face as she walked away.  
"She's a bit of a tight ass, but damn isn't she a looker. What I wouldn't give if I wasn't stuck in this job," the teller remarked as he gave Lloyd his task. Lloyd glared a the man who flinched slightly. Lloyd was given his task for the week; he was CONSTRUCTION, among those few who got the nicely paying tasks where they repaired certain structures the Overseer needed done. Caedus and Amy were up next. Caedus was a COLLECTOR, someone who walks up and down the streets taking in whatever junk and old items people didn't need or want anymore to sell to the traveling caravans when they passed by. Amy got SCRUBBER; she had to clean out the houses the richer citizens of New Haven recieved after completing an important task for the Overseer. Almost everyone worked up to that miracle position, but very few were given the reward for their hard work.

The rest of the week proved hard and taxing for the residents of New Haven. The Overseer had to hire outside help to keep out the Raiders that continually attacked his city. Snowfall came early that Autumn and happened to fall that week. Temperatures dropped and tempers rose. There was not enough insulation in this house, that fire is overregulation, we weren't prepared for this drop in temp, what are we going to do? Most everyone turned to and relied on the Overseer which was how he both liked and regretted it. Everyone seemed to come to him and him only with their pathetic, useless problems and expected him to just whip out a solution from thin air. He both loved and hated his job and wished his son was of age and willing to accept his role. The other... he didn't like to think about that disgrace.  
Trade was slow and the items Terra recieved were worn and tattered. Not many came over to her stall so she decided to perform small tricks for whoever passed by. Not using her precious dagger she so highly valued, but used a short steak knife to carve the air. It was well within the length regulation the Overseer put out and she performed hidden from the guards' eyes. She recieved a small profit for her tricks that she divvied up. Half for herself and the other half to go with the earnings from the trading stall.  
Lloyd worked well into the night with the other workers in the cold snow. They were given the job to repair the roof of the Justice building. The shingles had to be replaced at least twice a day since they were subjected to many harsh Wasteland elements. He paused from his work for a moment to spot Terra a few streets over turning tricks for one of the neighborhood children. The vanishing coin. He could see the silver shining in the air as she flipped and twirled it, only for it to disappear in thin to appear behind the child's ear. She clapped ecstatically as she given the coin and held it in reverence.  
Amy sat up in one of the mansions she was helping clean and looked around her. She and a few other men and women had been working for about six hours. The last one took almost eight. Amy stretched and turned in her working supplies for the day. She stepped out into the biting cold and lifted her face up to catch snowflake on her tongue. She looked back at the hous longingly and remembered from class about the holidays pre-war people celebrated and wished they could happen again around a roaring fire and a tree decorated with ornaments and tinsel.  
Caedus hated his job, not only because it was a but depressing but the pay was for crap. He walked up and down each day collecting unwanted junk to give to the trading stall to sell. It took a long ass time to even place everything onto the cart he was given. He would recieve a small profit once he was done but he felt it wasn't enough. Nothing was ever enough. He trudged on throught the snow.

The only time the four really met up was at meal times when they were surrounded by other people. There you at least couldn't hear what everyone was saying. Terra played around with her food until finally she dropped her fork and looked up at her friends.  
"God! I'm so sick and tired of everything!" Caedus quietly exclaimed. Amy and Lloyd nodded and stared into their food.  
"If you're so tired of it, why propose a suggestion to the Overseer?" suggested Lloyd.  
"And be shot for 'criticizing' him? Hell no!"  
Terra was lost in thought for a moment before focusing on her friends.  
"Well, we could always leave," she said.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2: Plans

The group stared at Terra. "What? It's not _that_ impossible," she said with a shrug.

"But how could we even leave?" asked Amy, "The guards change patrol along the Wall, like, every two hours." Terra nodded. "That's true," Terra continued, "But we all have a general idea on the patrol shifts so we'll just have to time it right to leave." Terra seemed set on her idea; the others were still unsure.

"I-it's not that easy," countered Amy, "Those stupid raiders have been taking pot-shots at the guards and have tried to get in at Haven for the past week! The guard's doubled up along the Wall. The patrols have changed, I'm certain of it." As if to add emphasis to her point, several incoherent yells and gunshots could be hear outside the hall near the town's perimeter. The soldiers there returned fire and the squabble was instantly quelled; the raiders were no match compared to the guards' armor and years of training.

Silence resumed. "We could leave during the noon bell or maybe the late night shift when there's more people out and about changing stations. That could cover our tracks as we make our escape," whispered Lloyd who was pondering their predicament. "If we're all in agreement," he added. Lloyd looked at each person and studied their reactions.

Caedus crossed his arms. "Won't the Overseer notice four empty spaces during the work hours? He'd starting wondering where we are," he put in.

"Probably," Lloyd responded in an offhanded manner, "But it'll be too late for him to do anything about it. We'll already be well outside city boundaries once he realizes we're gone." Caedus was about to snap back at Lloyd but all four faces instantly turn from their food to two soldiers watching them. The group finally noticed that they were the last in the dinner hall.

"You know, curfew bell's gonna be tolling soon," one of the soldiers announced. From close proximity to them, the group could see the signs of fatigue and stress wearing on the soldiers. Dark circles colored the area under their eyes and their faces looked gaunt. Their clothing looked worse for wear but it concealed the tough armor hidden within. They adjusted their gun straps while waiting for the group to answer.

"Yeah," spoke up Terra, "Thanks for the reminder." The guards bid them good night and carried on with their own business, probably trying track down the cook and asking for a late night dinner. Once the two were out of earshot, the group carefully let out their held breath. "That was just a little intense," muttered Amy. "We better get going before start attracting unwanted attention," Lloyd said.

The four got up from the weathered tables, scooped up what was left of their meals into small containers to eat later, and threw their plates and silverware into a box where they'd be cleaned for the morning meal the next day.

Dusk had descended upon the sleepy town while the teens were eating inside. Temperatures began to slowly rise as spring managed shake off winter's icy grip. It wasn't much though; they could see their breath come out in small clouds of white as they walked to the town center. "Strange," Amy muttered. Terra turned around to face her friend.

"What is?"

"Curfew's getting shorter and shorter. I wondered if that means we're going to working longer shifts."

"God, I hope not," grumbled Caedus as he stretched his arms up over his head; joints popped back into place as he cracked his neck. "Y'know, there's still the problem of the guards spotting us when we try to leave," Caedus said. That earned a sharp glare from Lloyd.

"What?" asked Caedus.

"You mind keeping your voice down? Or better yet, shut the hell up," snapped Lloyd. Caedus shrugged Lloyd off. "I'm being serious, though," Caedus continued with his voice lowered, "Everyone who's tried to escape has failed miserably." Just then, two people shot off from one alleyway, past the group, and off towards the Wall.

"Wait," Terra began to say, "What're they-?"

"They're leaving!" hissed Amy. Sure enough, the two people had traveling bags with them as they ran. They reached a chain link fence that covered parts of the town's perimeter that the Wall didn't quite reach. One part of the fence was completely torn away, hidden only by sparse brush. The two people climbed under it and raced out under the guards that patrolled twenty feet above them.

"We're almost there," whispered one escapee, "Just a few more feet and we'll be out of this hellhole of a city."

"Keep your voice down!" hissed the other, "They'll hear you!" They crept quietly under the guards, pausing when the spotlights up above on the Wall illuminating every little crevice that the shadows hid in.

The two were nearly home free, when Escapee One's foot slipped on a few loose rocks, setting off a small avalanche. The spotlights instantly zeroed in on the location of the noise. The two people stood rooted to the spot. The commander stood on top of the Wall and addressed the runaways. "Where do you think you're heading off to in such a late hour?" he asked them. The two, whether struck by fear or defiance, said nothing.

"Not a talkative bunch, are they?" the commander asked one of his men before turning his attention back to the frightened pair. "I'm gonna give you one chance to head back through the gate and we'll pretend like this never happened. Go back to having a peaceful life full of meaning and purpose," he said. This was all a lie, of course, bent on sowing its way into the minds of escapees such as these two to stay in Haven and remain productive members of society. They hesitated for a second. The commander smugly leaned back, thinking his job of rounding strays was through when a shot rang out.

The bullet missed the man's head by mere centimeters. "Screw you and screw the Overseer!" yelled one of the escapees as he aimed for another shot.

But the commander was quicker.

Two more shots shattered the weakly held peace. The group knew what happened. A kind of thing that always happened every once in a while. People would slowly get fed up with the way things were run in Haven and plan on ways to either leave and change things more to their liking.

Three years ago, there had been an attempt on the Overseer's life. A crazed woman who's child and husband both died in one of Haven's many mines threw a sharpened knife at him when the Overseer was making his annual speech on how the city was fortunate to survive another year in the harsh wasteland.

One of the Overseer's bodyguards had been eyeing the woman and reacted swiftly just as she let go of the knife. He jumped in front of the Overseer and the knife arced through the air at them. It bounced harmlessly off the guard's armor and clanged to the ground. The woman's face fell sharply as she watched the events unfold and took off. She was apprehended and thrown in jail. No one knew what happened to her after that. It served as a warning to those who had such fantastical ideas in their heads.

And now, two more people died for having such incredible ideas. It was quiet for a moment as the group slowly unfroze. "See?" hissed Caedus, "That could've been us had we left tonight!"

"Fine," snapped Lloyd, "We'll stay here for a couple of days, wait for a lull, and make a break for it at noon bell or late shift. Just be ready to go on a moment's notice." With that said, the group dispersed; Caedus and Terra heading off together while Amy and Lloyd parted ways.

Once home, Terra started packing immediately. "Don't tell me you're really planning on going?" Caedus asked her. Terra threw a glance over her shoulder and resumed stuffing clothes and socks into her bag. "Yeah, I am," she replied simply.

"You realize how dangerous it is, right? Trying to sneak out of here alone is a damned death trap. You saw what happened to those people out there!" Caedus's voice rose up. "Quiet!" his sister whispered, "You want the whole town to hear you?" Caedus rolled his and gave up trying to persuade his sibling. He then dug a medium sized bag out from under his bed and reluctantly began to pack.

"I can't believe you- you of all people!—would be complaining about this," said Terra, "I figured you'd jump at the first opportunity to leave here."

Caedus shrugged. "I don't know," he replied, "I just keep thinking about the dangers we would be in. Not just trying to leave here, but out in the Wasteland. I really would _not _want to die out there."

"I'm right there with you, but we know what we're doing. We're planning ahead, packing enough supplies. If worse comes to worse, we can go hunting. Just have to keep in mind what's edible and what'll kill you."

They didn't need to keep their voices down all the way as they discussed their plans once outside the city; their father worked for the Overseer so he would be gone for nearly the entire day and spent most nights out in Hedz or Tales, a nearby bar where the majority of people spent their days nursing drinks and sore hearts.

Their father would return about an hour after midnight smelling like stale beer, trudge upstairs, and sleep the rest of the night only to rise and do it all over again. Terra and Caedus grew up without him, they were used to it. Terra hated the fact that their father wasn't around much and Caedus hated his father for it. But neither sibling ever approached the subject with him for their father would get violent with them. It would not be a pretty sight when he'd come home one night only to find his two children gone, _if _he even noticed their disappearance.

The next day, the morning bell sounded out all over the sleepy town. People dragged themselves reluctantly out of their warm beds and into the cold dawn air. The workers trudged over to the food station and waited for the cooks to whip up whatever was left in the pots. This time, it was a meager helping of diluted oatmeal and lukewarm water.

Amy yawned widely and fell into step with Terra who already received her food and the two headed over to a table away from the others. Lloyd and Caedus soon joined them. The four ate in silence; no one dared to talk about the events that occurred overnight. People around yawned and conversed quietly about their plans for the day.

Once breakfast was over and plates and silverware discarded for later use, everyone lined up to receive their work tickets for that day's work. Terra received the trading stall, Amy clean up duty, Lloyd the collector's ticket, and Caedus trash duty. The person behind Caedus noticed the ticket the other young man had in his hand and started snickering. Trash duty was the least desired job next to mining. Caedus spun around and glared at the man behind him until the other looked away.

Once the tickets were squared away, everyone went off to their respectable stalls and opened shop. It was going to be a long day. Temperatures slowly rose as people went about their business. Terra opened one of the nearby trading stalls and took stock of the items that remained. There wasn't much: just pieces of silver and jewelry, scraps of clothing, a few ruined books, and other worthless supplies that Haven had to offer. She sighed. _We need to get out of here_, she thought tiredly. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, she set to work.

On the other side of town, Amy grabbed the cleaning supplies and took note of the long list of buildings on it. There were about twelve in total. Folding the piece of paper and placing it in her pocket, Amy headed off in the direction of the nearest house.

Most of the houses in Haven remained unlocked, open to anyone. Not due to trusty neighbors but to the fact that security cameras were set up in certain homes, a deterrent to any who had thought of stealing. Hoisting her cleaning supplies, Amy approached the door of a grandiose mansion and stepped inside.

Lloyd went from house to house pulling a cart behind him. As a collector he was supposed to ask the people if they had any useless items lying around their homes to give to the traders to gain food, extra clothing, and other essentials. Sometimes there was a big haul with items that could, with the right trading techniques, give a family enough food and essentials to last three weeks without them having to sell some of their more precious items.

Lloyd hated this job even though he already knew about the living conditions in this city, he hated seeing it. It made him want to leave all the more. He thanked the family and moved onto the next.

Caedus was having a hell of a time with his task. Most people had already dumped out their week's worth of trash. If he didn't come back with his job completed… He didn't want to think of the consequences. As he made his way towards the Wall, he paused to hear a couple of the guards talking about the raiders backing off.

"Guess we can go tonight," he muttered and hurried to finish his job to tell the others the news.

The sun slowly rose high in the sky when Caedus told them what he had heard. "So, the raiders have stopped attacking Haven," stated Lloyd.

"Yeah, apparently," Caedus replied.

"And you want to go tonight?" Caedus nodded.

"We shouldn't risk it," Terra said. Her brother gave her a questioning glance and she began to explain.

"The raiders probably just want the guards to think they've backed off, have them lower guard, and then a then at the most opportune moment… BAM! The raiders hit the Wall. They do that, we're stuck right in the middle, out there with no cover."

"When you put it that way…," muttered Lloyd.

"What about tomorrow at the night shift?" asked Amy, "We could still do it then."

"May as well try and hope for the best," replied Terra. It was settled: Night shift it was.

Night passed quickly into the following morning. The group was anxious to leave but remained quiet. Noon came and none of them felt particularly hungry. Once evening fell, dinner came and went. Once they finished eating, the four quickly headed into their home and prepared to leave. Caedus rummaged around through their house until he found their dad's old pistol.

The thing was old but was still in good condition. He checked it out and found two extra magazines with which he loaded the gun. The siblings grabbed their bags and slipped out the back of their house to the prescribed meeting place. Amy and Lloyd were already there waiting for them. Caedus was grinning from ear to ear. Lloyd raised an eyebrow at him.

"You guys bring any weapons?" he asked them. Amy showed him a small pocket knife that she kept concealed, Lloyd brought out a wooden bat, and Terra procured a foot long steel rod.

"You obviously have something worthwhile," Amy pointed out and Caedus brought out the gun. "That's Dad's gun," Terra whispered.

"And? He never uses it." Terra rolled her eyes and the group set out carefully and quietly towards the Wall, their packs bouncing while they ran.

It came up quickly and they bunkered down as the guards walked idly by, none of them taking note of the oddly shaped shadow near them. As they made their way under the patrols, Caedus screwed a cylinder shaped object onto the muzzle of the gun. Amy turned around and watched him. "What's that?" she asked. She was abruptly shushed by Lloyd who had taken point. He seemed to be very familiar with this path.

Amy turned back around to Caedus. _Silencer_ he mouthed at her. She nodded once. Suddenly, there was a small crack of a brittle branch underfoot. The group froze. The guards nearby stopped and focused on the source of the noise. Lloyd adjusted his grip on the bat as the guards approached their hiding place.

Caedus shifted his stance and took careful aim at the guards and fired. Two muffled shots sounded and the guards dropped like rocks. That gained the unwanted attention of the other guards and they came running to the aid of their fallen comrades. Lloyd instantly got the attention of his group and they ran crouched away from the guards.

The dead as a distraction the front of the Wall was deprived of most of the guards. The four teens broke out into a sprint as soon as their feet reached the top of the Wall. There were shouts and poorly aimed shots as the guards saw the escapees but the group already had a good lead on their pursuers. They rounded another corner and their feet slipped on the rocks and sand of the Wasteland.

They were home free.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3: On the Move  
They continued to run for another forty five minutes until they were positive that they lost the guards. They also lost site of the Wall. The one place that had been their home for nearly two decades was now gone, placed behind them.  
"We can never go back there," Terra said shouldering her pack. Lloyd and Caedus nodded in agreement. Amy was the only one who was a little unsure.  
"What're we going to do now?" she asked. Terra gave a nervous laugh.  
"Frankly, I didn't think we'd make it this far," she replied.  
"We should find some shelter now," Lloyd announced, "It'll be dark soon and I doubt any of you want to be left out here." They started walking out in a north-easterly direction.  
"Now I'm glad you made me take those stupid camping classes," Caedus muttered to his sister. Once a year, the Overseer held a "camping trip" where twenty of New Haven's citizens could sign up for to get a taste of the Wasteland. It also served as a deterrent against those who wished to leave the safety of the Wall and live in the harsh wilderness outside it. To drive the whole "outside is bad, inside is good" point home almost every trip had raiders, dogs with rabies and other diseases, mutants, and other dangers that staged. The raiders and mutties were guards and the dogs were trained to act diseased on command. These were sent to torment the campers and several gave up the idea to venture outside the Wall. There were a few kids who signed up for the trips nearly every year. Most stated that they wanted to learn different techniques in case raiders do overrun New Haven and they were all thrust outside on their own. But the rest were gathering information when they decided to leave. These groups of kids were watched carefully so when one or two or five of them didn't show up to their classes due to illness, the Overseer immediately sent guards over to their homes at random times for inspection. More than half were caught in the act and instantly punished. Those that weren't, escaped only to come back within a few hours later torn up, tired, or dead from a raider ambush.  
Those thoughts weighed heavily on their minds as they traversed the wilderness in search of shelter. Caedus spotted a promising cave and, after an extensive inspection, it was deemed a worthy shelter. All they had to do was find something that covered the entrance and blended in with the surroundings. Caedus and Lloyd went in search for material to build the cover while Amy and Terra searched around the encampment for wood for a small fire. Once enough wood was gathered, the girls helped the boys with making the shelter. Branches were woven together, tied to each other by some twine and covered by dead leaves and other material they found. They blocked off most of the shelter with small boulders and left an opening where they could enter and exit with ease. It could also be easily guarded.  
Night had fallen by the time they finished and they were all tired. Caedus got a fire going and they all huddled around it with their backs to the covering to block out the light that could potentially seep out. Lloyd was stationed as guard for a few hours but after inspecting the cave a little more and found that it ended about five hundred feet back with no other openings he laid down and slept till dawn.  
The sun rose up high into the sky by the time the four escapees woke up. The fire was ash by now although a few embers still burned and with some coaxing it was brought to life again. Terra pulled out a small pack of frozen meat and metal rods which was placed over the fire cook. They left after an hour.  
Once outside their cave, several footprints were spotted a few feet away from where they were sleeping.  
"Shit," Lloyd said.  
"Guards or raiders?" Terra asked.  
"Hard to tell," Caedus replied as he stooped over to examine the tracks, "Could've come from anyone."  
"I didn't hear anyone last night," Lloyd said.  
"That was 'cause you fell asleep," Caedus snapped. Lloyd glared at the other boy.  
"And how the hell do you know that?"  
"Had to take a piss in the middle of the night. Saw you were asleep when I got up."  
"And you couldn't have taken over guard duty?"  
"Sun was coming up in a couple hours."  
"We could have been dead within a couple hours!"  
"But we're not." Lloyd opened his mouth to fire off another retort when Terra intervened.  
"Enough! We are only on the second day. We can't already be fighting over something like this!" she snapped, "Look, now we know to keep a better eye and ear out. We'll switch guards every two to three hours until the sun comes up. If someone hears something, even if you think you imagined it, wake us up and we'll either investigate or leave if we can. Does that sound reasonable?"  
The two grudgingly agreed.  
"So," Terra began, "Do we have any idea on where we're going?"  
"I thought you knew!" Amy piped in. "You were the one who suggested we'd leave Haven." Terra bit her lip. Amy glared at her.  
"Solus," Lloyd said, "We're going to Solus." The other three looked at him. Terra narrowed her eyes at him.  
"I... overheard the Overseer's Captain of the Guard talk about a refugee camp about thirty to forty miles North of Haven. There was talk about raiding it and killing the leader Apparently it's open to anyone looking for a place to stay. A safe haven. It sounds a helluva lot better than New Haven."  
"What if it's not?" Caedus asked.  
"If the captain thought it was worth his attention then it's worth going over there and ask for refuge."  
"Do you have a map?" Terra asked. Lloyd gave her a grim smile.  
"I was going to swipe the captain's map. It had the location marked off and everything but I was caught and had to go clean out their barracks as punishment. You know how 'clean' those guys are."  
"Shit."  
"Exactly."  
"I got a good look at the coordinates though so if we can find a local pub or inn around here and ask for a map, I can locate it."  
"Where the hell are we gonna find a pub?' Caedus asked.  
"Caravans!" Terra announced and pointed at a spot on the horizon that grew closer with each passing minute. "We can hitch a ride with them and get dropped off at their next stop."  
"Good thinking. Do you all have something we could use for payment?" Lloyd asked. Amy and Terra rummaged around in their packs for something that had some value. Clean water was always the best item to trade with. It's value had skyrocketed once the radiation contaminated the water. When a few of the towns that had sprouted up in the Wasteland created purifiers to filter the water, caravaners and other people instantly flocked to those areas. Many were willing to trade items for mini-purifiers that the towns' few scientists invented but there was a small percentage of people, raiders mostly that snuck in with the crowd of caravaners, who stole the purifiers. Some scientists, like those in New Haven, had rigged the purifiers to blow once the item left the town gates. Those safe guards were deactivated once they had been properly paid for.  
Terra found two full clips of bullets and Amy found a manual for creating such purifiers. Terra, Caedus, and Lloyd looked at her.  
"Where did you get that?" Terra asked her friend incredulously.  
"When I was cleaning one of the houses on a shift. It was on tables along with several others. There had to at least have been twenty, so I snagged it, figuring it wouldn't be missed. It had to have some worth to it. I mean, this type of invention should be open to all."  
"And as long as we had someone stable and strong heading it, why not?" Terra said, "To have fresh water out here in the Wasteland would be amazing! People wouldn't have to be fighting like animals over this... well, they probably still would even if we or... or somebody managed to fix this whole thing."  
"Yeah, that would be nice," Amy replied smiling.  
"So, does anyone know the caravan routes?" Lloyd asked.  
"I do," Caedus announced and started rummaging around in his pack until he pulled out a map. He unfolded and began tracing a finger along a route.  
"This one here is the main route that they use. It branches off into other towns nearby," he explained.  
"Where'd you get this?" Terra asked.  
"Bought it off one of them. Had to trade in some high quality hunting supplies to get it though. They weren't too willing to part with it."  
"Can't imagine why." Caedus rolled his eyes at his sister.  
"But the thing is is that there is this one place that the trader refused to tell me what was there. Some highly classified information."  
"Well then, if we get some time we should visit it," Terra said.  
"What?!" Amy said, "Did ever cross your mind that there could be a reason as to why that trader didn't tell Caedus what was there? It could be radiated or a Muttie or Raider hideout that they have to avoid!"  
"They would list those places so they could avoid it better," Terra countered, "They're hiding something and I want to find out what it is. So I guess we are in agreement then? As soon as we get settled and everything, we check the blank area?" She looked at Lloyd.  
"I'm down. I'm curious as to what it may be," he said looking at the map again.  
"That's three against one," Caedus announced triumphantly when he looked over at Amy. She crossed her arms over her chest and ignored him.  
"So, do the caravan routes run through here?" Lloyd asked Caedus.  
"Considering the fact that we're still near Haven, yeah. We'll hitch a ride when they leave to lessen our chances of being spotted."  
They waited near their cave until the caravans arrived. It was well past noon when they did.  
"God! Finally they're here," Terra muttered as they spotted a pack of horses and a horse-drawn carriage. The caravaners entered New Haven and began trading with the inhabitants. The four waited another three hours before the traders were done to wave them down. The caravans were at least a half mile away from New Haven before the teens waved them down.  
"Hey!" Lloyd called out, "We want to get to the nearest town but we kinda forget to get horses. Could we hitch ride with you?" The leader of the pack slowed his group to a stop before climbing off his horse and walked over to the group. He wore a headdress that covered his whole with the exception for a hole for his eyes which were covered in goggles. His cloth was and dirty, skin tanned and weathered from being out in the elements. The other traders wore similar garb.  
"A ride you say?" he asked, pondering Lloyd's question, "How do we know you aren't gonna try to steal our items when we aren't looking?" Five of the traders then aimed their weapons at the kids.  
"Whoa! Wait! We can pay," Lloyd said, raising his arms up. He signaled for the other three to do the same.  
"With what?"  
"Uh, do you mind if we open up our bags? We'll move slowly," Lloyd said. The leader eyed Lloyd and the other three for a few tense seconds before nodding once. The four slowly moved to their bags, unzipped them, and removed their specific items. Terra brought out the ammo clips. The leader motioned to one of his traders to take the clips from her. He complied, took the magazines and examined them.  
"These are some pretty high quality bullets," he observed, taking one bullet out of the clip. He tossed the clips over to one his friends behind him.  
"You," the leader said pointing to Amy. The trader walked over to Amy and took the manual. He read the cover and looked over at Amy and then at his leader.  
"Sir, I believe we can let them on now," he said.  
"Why?" the leader drawled, looking at the other man. The trader held up the manual and the teens could tell, even behind the mask, his eyes bugged out of his head. He stared at Amy.  
"You... are giving us this?" he asked dumbfounded.  
"Yes. I figured anybody could use it," she replied. She conveniently left out the fact that she three more copies in her bag.  
"Alright then. You can come with us," the leader said.  
"Thanks, sir," Lloyd said hefting his pack.  
"First of all: weapons?" the leader asked.  
"Um, yes." Lloyd said a little uneasily, "Are you confiscating them? If so, we'll take our clips and manual back."  
"Oh no!" the leader replied holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture, "I was just wondering if you four had weapons. Any extra help against the Raiders would be appreciated. They enjoy ambushing our caravans and startling our horses enough so that the wagon tips over. They're goddamned scavengers is what they are. Not even human."  
"We'll help any way we can. It's the least we can do." Lloyd then turned around to the others.  
"I think we all have pistols, right?" Terra asked Amy and Caedus.  
"Yeah," Caedus replied nodding.  
"I also have a baseball bat that's still in good shape," Lloyd said.  
"Good," the trader leader announced, "You can come aboard."  
"Thanks," the four replied in unison. They could see the folds of the mask lift up when as the leader grinned. They hopped aboard and the caravan started to move. Terra looked behind and could just barely make out the Wall they had to climb over only a night ago. It felt like forever. They were now on the move.


End file.
